Minnesota State Mankato Adds New Undergraduate Agriculture Degree Program to College of Business
Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato has added a new undergraduate agriculture degree program to the University’s growing portfolio of agriculture-related education programs.
This fall Minnesota State Mankato will begin offering a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness and food innovation through its College of Business.
Students in the new program will be able to specialize in a specific business area, take newly designed agribusiness courses and University agriculture, food and natural resource courses and participate in agribusiness internships and study abroad opportunities, said College of Business Dean Brenda Flannery.
“This new program will provide opportunities for learning and research partnerships and will benefit the regional ag and food industry, which is so important to the future of our state, country and world,” said Flannery.
According to Flannery, the degree program is designed to develop students’ leadership skills and ability to address real-world needs in agriculture and food industries.
The faculty director of the agribusiness and food innovation program is Shane Bowyer, an assistant professor of management at Minnesota State Mankato. Bowyer is an alumnus of the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership Program (MARL), an agriculture entrepreneurship and talent researcher and a member of regional agriculture talent advisory councils.
The agribusiness and food innovation major is the latest agriculture-related education program that Minnesota State Mankato has added in recent years. Two years ago, the University added an agricultural science degree program in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology.
The agriculture programs are beneficial for students, faculty and the regional agricultural industry, said Christopher Ruhland, a professor in the agricultural science degree program.
“The new programs open up new opportunities for research funding that will be highly beneficial to both faculty and students,” said Ruhland. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to link classroom lectures with real experiences in the field. University courses with field-based experiences and internships will absolutely help students find jobs after they graduate from Minnesota State Mankato. We’ve already had students find positions at major ag biotech companies and we hope to continue that trend.”
For more information on the agribusiness and food innovation major, contact Jen Cucurullo, director of marketing and communication in the College of Business, by phone at 507-389-5424 or by email at jen.cucurullo@mnsu.edu.
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 14,604 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.
